Dave Smith wrote:

> Dima wrote:
>
>
>>Whenever I try to make a roux (for a cream soup base), I do the butter and flour as I should (and as
>>I have seen on food tv), but the butter always seperates. I can even see it around the edges
>>afterwards.
>>What I do is melt half-cup butter in a pot over medium heat (electric stove) and add 6 tbs flour,
>>mix for a bit until smooth and then add 2 cups milk and so on. But like I said, the butter always
>>wants to return to the top afterwards.
>>
>>What am I doing wrong?
>
>
> How much cream sauce are you making? That sounds like a lot of butter. Most of the time when I make a
> roux for a sauce I am doing it just for the to of us. I use about a heaping tablespoon of each. I melt
> the butter in the pan, stir in an equal amount of flour and stir it around. It forms a thick paste.
>

1 TB of butter and 1 TB of flour, cooked for about 1 minute will thicken
1 cup of liquid. The longer you cook it (before adding liquid) and the
browner it gets the less thickening power it has.

For two cups of milk (unless there is more liquid in the soup) you want
2 tablespoons of butter and flour cooked 1 minute, then stir in your
warm liquid and whisk *really well* as it thickens up.



Dawn